Citing ill health and doctor’s advice against travelling, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief and prime accused in the Burail jailbreak case, failed to appear before the court for recording his statement on Wednesday.
Hawara and Paramjeet Singh Bheora, convicts in
the former chief minister Beant Singh assassination case, presently lodged in Tihar jail, did not appear before the court despite production warrants. The court has now reissued the production warrants for July 30.

The court has to record their statements for which their personal appearances are mandatory and thus, the production warrants were issued. Till now, they have been appearing through video-conferencing.

Meanwhile, the court recorded statements of six accused, including the then jail superintendent DS Rana, dismissed deputy jail superintendent DS Sandhu, dismissed assistant jail superintendent PS Rana along with Narian Singh Chaura, alleged main conspirator in the Burail jail break case, along with Harinder Pal Singh and Sher Singh, who had assisted in the case. All accused claimed that they were being falsely implicated in the case.

THE CASEHawara, Bheora and two of their other accomplices - Jagtar Singh Tara and Devi Singh - had escaped from Burail jail in January 2004 by digging a tunnel. Hawara and Bheora were arrested from Delhi, while Tara and Singh are still absconding.